Apart from making the journey for commuters significantly shorter and swifter, this fourth trunk route within the MyCiTi network to date also provides commuters with a number of transfer opportunities to the other trunk routes along the Table View corridor.
'Approximately 6 km of the 10 km route is along the dedicated bus rapid transit lane - otherwise known as the red road - which is reserved for MyCiTi buses. I suspect that the T04 will very soon become one of the main arteries in the area as it serves residential communities, industrial areas, shopping centres and office developments. All in all, we have spent nearly R200 million on the dedicated red roads for the T04 route and another R32 million on five closed bus stations,' said the City's mayoral committee member: Transport for Cape Town, councillor Brett Herron.
The brand new Century City station that has been under construction since March last year at a cost of R34 million and has been paid for by the developers of Century City. It has curved walls, a curved roof and fascia, as well as a curved ceiling to accommodate shorter bus docking. The station platform can also accommodate the three different types of bus that are currently operating within the MyCiTi service.
'This partnership with Century City represents the most significant private sector contribution towards public transport improvements in the City of Cape Town to date - a fact that we are very proud of. These facilities are managed and maintained by the City and operated on leased land in terms of our agreement with Century City,' said Herron.
The MyCiTi buses servicing the T04 travel in mixed traffic only along Ratanga Road. The remainder of the route will be served by dedicated bus lanes in one or both directions, meaning that, for the most part, commuters' travelling time will not be prolonged by peak-hour traffic or accidents. There are 11 stations along the way.
As far as flexibility goes, commuters can transfer to the T03 trunk route at the Omuramba station, from where they can travel to either Table View or Atlantis, or the Civic Centre station in the Cape Town central business district. There are also number of transfer opportunities between the new T04 and the T01, T02, T03 and Route 251 at the Montague Gardens and Century City stations, making the MyCiTi service more convenient and easy to use.
'With the launch of the T04 trunk route, commuters also have a quick and more direct connection with Metrorail's northern line. All they have to do is to transfer to Route 251 at the Century City station, from where they can travel along Sable Road to the Century City railway station which is the last stop along Route 251. From there, commuters can catch a train either to Kensington or the Cape Town CBD,' said Herron. The same goes for those commuters who are travelling on Metrorail's northern Line and disembark at the Century City railway station.
'Perhaps one of the most exciting features of the new trunk route is that it provides rail commuters who are traveling on Metrorail's northern Line from Tygerberg, Bellville, Parow, and Monte Vista, with a direct route towards Omuramba, Table View, Atlantis and Dunoon. Travelling on Route 251 from the Century City railway station, they can either go to the Century City shopping centre, or transfer at the Century City station to the T04 to catch a bus to the Omuramba station or travel right through to Dunoon. I am confident that commuters will benefit from this new addition to the MyCiTi network,' said Herron.
A fleet of 12-metre high-floor buses will serve the T04. 'A public transport system is defined by its ability to provide the commuter with choice, flexibility and interchangeability between the different modes of transport. The majority of commuters in Cape Town rely on passenger rail and it is therefore very important that we provide them with more opportunities to transfer between rail and the MyCiTi bus service. In this instance, we have met the objective and I am confident that the T04 will significantly change the way residents commute in these areas,' said Herron.
